


A World with You

by missmichellebelle



Series: Through the Kaleidoscope [5]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Classical Music, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Pianist, Denial of Feelings, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, pianist levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2015-09-15
Packaged: 2018-04-20 23:40:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4806569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missmichellebelle/pseuds/missmichellebelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren’s voice transforms when he sings, but Levi’s stays the same. Then again, he was born with music in his hands, not in his voice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A World with You

**Author's Note:**

> I literally fashioned this entire part around the idea of Eren asking Levi why he never sings when he plays, so it went a little. everywhere. but I think it ended up working itself out. :D
> 
> the song I chose for Levi to play (and sing along with) doesn't have any actual piano covers available. which isn't surprising. it's not exactly a popular song. so, um, I'll go ahead and link the segment that I did find, but I do encourage you guys to look up the actual song. it's lovely. uwu
> 
> (and there's also a line in there somewhere about climbing a wall. hehe)
> 
> also, idk about you guys, but I think Eren is starting to get a _little_ impatient...

“So what next?”

Levi runs his fingers down half the length of the keys, frowning when he hits a particular one and stroking it a few times for good measure. It doesn’t sound quite right. With a sigh, he realizes he’ll have to get a tuner out here sooner or later.

(Sooner, certainly sooner.)

He shrugs at Eren’s question. It’s strange, how very little has changed since he found out who Levi actually is—well, as far as the rest of the world knows him. Levi is still pretty sure that Eren knows him better than them, but whatever. He seems more mindful of Levi’s career and the demands that it has. Sometimes, Levi will get home late to find Eren waiting for him with a tupperware full of food. Like he somehow just knows that it’s been hours since Levi’s last meal. He’ll come in, make Levi some tea, talk to him while he eats, and then say good night.

Despite the unvoiced fear of Levi’s that his mediocre fame would drive a wedge between them, it’s had exactly the opposite effect. If anything, they’re closer now than they were before.

Although, Eren being mindful of his career also means he asks more questions about it. Sometimes it’s as simple as wondering about the performances lined up that week, what Levi has planned for his set list (a question that stops once he realizes that Levi’s setlist never changes). A few times, he asks for a pair of tickets to a performance—apparently Eren wasn’t exaggerating when he said his friend, Armin, is a big fan—although that fades, too. Levi wonders if Eren was trying to be supportive by going to as many shows as he was able, but it’s clear he became bored with the repetition rather quickly (Levi can’t blame him).

He’s increasingly curious about Levi’s encore, and why he plays the songs he plays. Levi never says.

But now, his run at Carnegie Hall is coming to an end and, as far as Levi knows, there’s nothing lined up for him immediately afterward. He tells Eren as much.

“You mean you don’t get to choose?” Eren asks, eyebrows furrowing as he struggles to prop himself up on his elbows on Levi’s couch. He’s lounging across it, and Levi would scold him for it if he wasn’t so respectful about doing it. He always wears socks, and he never does it if he’s wearing dark wash jeans, and he always re-fluffs the pillows when he’s done.

Sometimes it’s infuriating how fucking respectful of other people’s space and lives Eren is.

“No,” Levi states, distracted trying to see if any of the other keys need attention. “It’s out of my hands. I don’t particularly care where I play, though, so long as I get to play.” He scrunches his nose as he finds another, and mentally notes which one it is. “With a few stipulations, of course.”

“Like what?” Eren is grinning. Levi doesn’t even have to look to know.

“I don’t like intimate performances. That is, anything that allows people to speak to me while I’m playing. It’s tiresome.” Levi glances at Eren, watches him open his mouth to say something—most likely to point out that that’s what Levi does every day with Eren—but seems to think better of it. _Good_. “And also…” Levi plays a few twinkly light notes that make absolutely nothing. “That it doesn’t involve me getting on an airplane.”

“Wait.” Eren sits up fully this time, and Levi looks over just before the little sliver of skin that always shows when he lays about like that disappears. “What?” He stares at Levi in disbelief. “How can you be a world famous pianist if you don’t, you know, _travel_ the world?”

Levi shrugs.

He doesn’t like airplanes, and he doesn’t like flying. That’s always been the deal. If he can’t get there by car, or, worst scenario, train, he doesn’t go. It’s proof enough of the soft spot Erwin has for him that he agrees to such terms now, but why he ever did in the first place is still a mystery to Levi and he refuses to give Erwin the pleasure of simply asking why.

“I’m not that famous,” Levi contradicts, and then frowns, because it sounds like some strange attempt at sounding humble. “Erwin spews some bullshit to the music world about how New York is my hub city. How it makes me an exclusive attraction, a draw, or something.” There’s a reason Erwin does the talking for him. “But…” Levi’s hands still on the keys. “Most of my peers—that is to say, other concert pianists—kind of see me as some sort of elitist asshole who was handed his career by another asshole with too much money and too much sway.” Levi tips his head consideringly. “That I didn’t make my renown, I was _given_ it, and that I don’t deserve it.”

“That’s fucking bullshit!” Eren shoots up on the couch, and nearly falls off in the process, and Levi watches him with one eyebrow quirked in amusement. “You’re amazing, like—fuck those guys. And girls?” He looks at Levi, who gives a small nod. “Yeah, fuck them! Like, I hate classical music, and then one day I’m up here looking for my cat and I hear this piano music and it’s just so fucking beautiful that I forget about my cat and I go looking for it and I stand outside this stranger’s door and just _listen_ for like 20 minutes and it’s totally creepy, and then the next thing I know I’m digging a post-it out of my bag and writing a stupid note and—“ Eren stops abruptly, eyes widening, as if he’s just realizing what exactly he’s saying.

So _that’s_ what happened.

“Did you ever find your cat?” Levi asks, a lilt of amusement to his voice, even if he can’t stop picturing Eren outside his door, so gripped by Levi’s playing that he just stood there and played.

“Shut up,” Eren mumbles. “The _point_ is that you got me to give a shit about a genre of music I used to think was boring.”

“Gee, thanks,” Levi responds dryly, and he thinks Eren might throw one of those decorative couch pillows at him.

“I’m trying to compliment you, asshole,” Eren growls through his teeth.

Levi plays a series of lingering notes, blending one into the next, and then says softly, “I know.” He’s just never been good at taking compliments. He feels torn, a situation he’s become accustomed to when Eren is involved, over whether he hopes Eren heard him or not. By the way Eren is suddenly looking at him, though, Levi can assume he did, somehow, hear.

“So I compose,” Levi continues, as if it’s a natural place to pick up their conversation (it’s not). “I compose and record, and that’s how I establish my…” Levi twists his wrist in the air. Fame? Renown? Whatever it is that he has. “That’s the compromise.”

Eren hums from the couch—not so much in understanding, but more contemplatively. Levi figures that’s the end of the conversation, and starts to build his playing into a song. He recalls Erwin vaguely hinting at some sort of _tribute to the arts of New York_ something or other, which more often than not ends up being a big kiss ass to broadway shows than to the actual musical history of New York but whatever. It’s an easy gig, if nothing else.

“You never play your own songs,” Eren points at before Levi can properly get started, and he sighs and stops.

“How astute of you.” There’s a pause, where Eren just stares at him expectantly, and when did this brat stop straight up asking him things outright? When did he just let the obvious question hang in the air, the one Levi knows is there but clearly has no intention of answering? When did Eren learn to just sit quietly and wait him out? Actually, when did that even start to _work?_

“I don’t like them,” Levi answers honestly, because he has no reason to lie. “They’re nothing spectacular, or memorable.They’re not particularly inspired, and while they can be technically impressive, that’s about it. At least that’s my take on them. They must have some sort of mass appeal, because I keep being forced to make them.”

“ _Bridge_ ,” is what Eren responds, and while Levi now knows Eren owns every tangible piece of music Levi’s ever produced, the name still surprises him. “That’s the name of Armin’s favorite. It’s the one he had you sign.”

Levi hadn’t even been paying attention.

“Do you ever do concerts?” Levi gives Eren a look, and he seems to immediately realize the idiocy of his question. “I mean of, like, your own stuff.”

“Occasionally.” Levi hums thoughtfully. “Not in quite awhile, but it’s been at least two years since my last release. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the reason Erwin hasn’t given me a schedule yet. He knows how much I hate album work.” His mouth sets in a grim line. It’s not easy to play the same three dozen pieces he cycles through, or to mess around with already arranged pop pieces until they fit his world. But Levi hates composing. He doesn’t have that creative spark inside of him, not in that capacity, and trying to piece together his own music is very similar to trying to scrape the last few remnants of butter out of an empty tub.

“I do like recording in a studio, though,” Levi tacks on, voice soft. Those rooms are made to make his music sound its best, and he’s so isolated from everything while he plays. It’s almost relaxing. Like a way of recharging his batteries after months and months of public performances.

“You should record your covers,” Eren suggests with a smile. “All of my favorites.” His voice goes a little wistful, causing Levi to look over. “That way I can listen to them when I—whenever I want.” The stutter in his sentence doesn’t go past Levi’s notice, but he doesn’t push on it. Eren’s suddenly rigid shoulders tell him that now is not the time.

He doesn’t respond, but he thinks that would be something he might consider doing if he thought it wouldn’t stop Eren from coming to see him every day. As if maybe Levi’s music is what keeps Eren coming back, again and again. He nearly snorts—it’s certainly not Levi’s company.

Levi supposes he’s selfish that way.

Instead, he builds into playing for real this time, now that Eren seems to have settled down and is less likely to interrupt. As much as he puts up with Eren, he does still prefer to play straight through without any actual disturbances.

He starts [playing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuuBk1gx8jg) a piece he’s known for years, brushing up on the pattern his fingers are meant to draw and reinstating it into his muscle memory. Eren doesn’t sing along, and it makes Levi wonder if maybe musical theater is outside of his circle of knowledge.

“Why don’t you ever sing along?”

Levi stops again with a sigh, eyes sliding to Eren in a glare.

“You’re certainly full of questions today,” Levi states in a way that clearly tells Eren that it is annoying and that he needs to stop. Eren looks a little sheepish, but doesn’t stop from staring Levi down in that way of his. Like he knows that if he looks at Levi that way long enough, Levi will answer.

“Because I’m not a singer,” Levi answers, hating himself for giving in. “I’m a musician. Those two things don’t always go hand-in-hand, especially in the classical world. More often than not, someone has the pipes and learns to play an instrument because of that.” Levi thinks of his contemporaries, always accompanied by choirs or operatic singers rather than braving the mic themselves. “I mean, you can sing, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be busting out Beethoven’s fifth anytime soon.”

“Hey. I play a _mean_ Heart and Soul, okay,” Eren ribs back, good-natured as he always is in the face of Levi’s flat teasing. “Wait, you think I can sing?”

“Don’t play humble. It’s unbecoming.”

“I wasn’t—“ Eren huffs, something between annoyance and a laugh. It’s no wonder Eren makes Levi feel so many contradicting things when he’s a contradiction within himself. “But _can_ you sing?”

“I have pitch, but that’s the extent of it.” And pitch, while certainly necessary, does not a singer make.

When Eren remains strangely silent given the conversation, Levi looks over at him and sees a disarming glint in his eyes.

“Sing something?” Eren asks hopefully, and Levi glares at him.

“No.”

“Come on, just—anything. You could sing anything.”

“I’m not singing.”

“ _Levi_ , it’s just me. There’s no one else here. Look, I’ll close the door and everything, no one will hear.”

“ _No_.”

“I sing for you all the time!”

“I don’t ask you to do that, brat.”

“Fair is fair.”

“I give you free concerts every day, you don’t see me asking you to return the favor. Not to mention all the tea.”

“Please? _Please?_ ”

“Absolutely not.”

“Just. Sing something. Like four words. Anything!”

Levi glares at Eren and then pounds out the very simple melody to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

“ _Twinkle, twinkle—_ ”

And then Eren is up and sitting next to him at the bench, sighing heavily.

“Okay, something _real_ ,” Eren amends, and Levi snorts.

“You said anything, and that was something, so.”

“Come on, that’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Eren is too close. Levi can feel the heat of him somehow transcending their layers of clothing until it sinks into Levi’s own skin, and he has the urge to push away. “I promise I’ll never ask again.”

“Liar.” Like Levi would ever believe that crock of shit. Eren gives a little laugh, and Levi can feel it in his bones.

“Okay, fine. But I promise not to be such a persistent dick about it next time.”

Still hard to believe. Levi looks at him, and Eren is so close, and he’s just looking at Levi, aiming all of that bright-eyed, hopeful youth he has right at him. There’s a shift, something softens, grows tender and precious in the air between them, and Levi feels like his ribs just collapsed on themselves.

He looks away, hands flying to the keys, and if he gives in to Eren’s stupid request, it’s only to escape whatever… Whatever it is that just happened.

When he [plays](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H4fUPBvBfA), it’s without thinking too hard about it. It takes him a few notes to realize that he’s playing one of those songs from one of the endless playlists Hanji sends him, now that he’s more “open” to modern music. They’re always love songs, and Levi is sure to respond to their emails as cruelly as fucking possible because what, exactly, are they hinting at?

Somehow, he forgets that until he gets to the point where he’s supposed to start singing, and the words dry up in his mouth and turn to dust. Shit. Why had he gone with _this_ song? It’s one thing to play these songs with no words, where he knows them, knows the feeling behind the melody, but isn’t actively acknowledging it.

Shit.

He loops the intro again, and Eren must notice, because he puts a hand on Levi’s back, as if that’s supposed to give him courage or some sappy shit when really it just makes everything _worse_.

He’ll just sing a little bit. He’ll sing enough to satisfy this ridiculous need of Eren’s, and then he’s going to play the entire orchestral score of Phantom of the Opera. Like some sort of cleanser.

Levi clears his throat, and Eren tenses in anticipation. Fucking fantastic.

“ _[Let’s hit the road](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnun3e9hN9U), and throw out the map. Wherever we go, we won’t look back. ‘Cause we’re going places, and we’re going there fast…_ ” He hates the sound of his own voice when he speaks, never mind when he sings. Not that it sounds that much different. While Levi knows pitch and can stay on key, that doesn’t mean he can hit outrageous notes. His range is minimal, at best, and he’s thankful that he somehow managed to pick a song that doesn’t fit his monotonous singing but doesn’t highlight how flawed it is, either.

He sings too softly, he knows, and Eren leans closer to hear him. He doesn’t think it sounds all that different from his speaking voice, that there isn’t any singing lilt to it. Eren’s voice transforms when he sings, but Levi’s stays the same. Then again, he was born with music in his hands, not in his voice.

“ _Let’s throw caution to the wind and start over again_.” His voice trembles, and he closes his eyes. He doesn’t need to see the keys to play the song—it’s not complicated—but he needs the darkness to steel his resolve. He’s never been nervous in front of a crowd before, in front of Eren, but it’s one thing to do something he has confidence in and another to do… This. Levi feels exposed, like one wrong move could shatter him.

“ _Think how many doors we’ll open. Just as many stars will shine._ ” He hits one of the bad keys and winces. This singing while playing shit is a lot harder than he thought it would be.“ _Who knows where we’re going. Who knows what we’ll find._ ” Is this how Eren feels when he sings? Like he’s full to busting, like he might explode? It’s a horrible feeling, and Levi doubts that Eren would sing as much as he does if it felt this fucking awful.

His fingers dawdle over the next few notes, drawing them out. Not to twist the song, not to be elaborate, but from pure nerves. It’s hesitation. He could just stop, he knows that, but Levi can’t get through at least one verse and chorus of a song. If for nothing else, than to prove that he can. And because he doubts Eren will be happy with even that little, but it’s as much as Levi is willing to give.

“ _I want to see the world…_ “ a ridiculous sentiment considering what he’d said earlier about airplanes. He makes the last few notes linger, the words plump on his tongue like he can’t form them quite right. “ _The way I see a world with you_.” He flourishes to a finish, so that Eren knows he’s done, and then sits there, staring at his hands, too afraid to look anywhere else.

There’s tension. He would have to be a moron not to feel it, settled over his entire body like a heavy fleece blanket, and Eren’s hand is still on his back, fingers curling into the fabric like he thinks maybe Levi is about to bolt.

Levi honestly is considering it.

“Levi…” Eren’s voice caresses over his name, and Levi suppresses the urge to shudder, because if he did, Eren would know. Eren is so close, he would feel it. It’s shot through with awe, but it’s a call-out. A way of getting Levi’s attention. Of trying to get Levi to turn, to look, when he feels so shaken by what just happened he’s not sure he can move at all.

But he does. He looks at Eren, into those eyes, they way they flick all over his face, and Eren is _too_ close. Levi does not like people _this_ close, they—he can’t breathe. Oh fuck, maybe his ribs actually did collapse earlier and he decided to ignore it because he’s some kind of dumbass.

No, because Eren just seems to get closer and closer, and with each intruding centimeter, Levi feels like he’s going to burst. Like he will suffocate and die, and he can’t—he needs to— “Do you want to stay for dinner?”

Eren stills, eyes clouded with confusion, and then he draws back and laughs and Levi breathes in slowly, knowing he wouldn’t be able to explain if he started gulping in air like he’d just been drowning instead of innocuously sitting on a piano bench.

“It’s—didn’t you just have lunch, like, an hour ago?” Eren asks incredulously, and Levi takes the opportunity to look away. Flexes his hands. Breathes.

“I know what I said.”

And Eren’s laughter quiets. He’s still right there, close enough that Levi couldn’t ignore his presence even if he tried, and then he’s mumbling to himself. Something-something-“a new approach”-something. Levi turns to look at him, eyebrow furrowed, and snaps, “What?” Because he hates it when people fucking talk like he’s not right there.

But Eren just smiles at him and then stands from the bench, stretching.

“Nothing. Are you cooking or are we ordering in?”

“Are we talking about this now or can I finish practicing first?” Levi grumbles, pushing his frustration into the main theme of Phantom, and thinks, _Nothing my ass_. 

**Author's Note:**

> [read, reblog, & like on tumblr](http://missmichellebelle.tumblr.com/post/129165183870/a-world-with-you)


End file.
